



Boris Karloff
Acting1887Camberwell, London, England, UK

Biography
William Henry Pratt (November 23, 1887 – February 2, 1969), better known as Boris Karloff, was an English-born actor who emigrated to Canada in 1909. Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and Son of Frankenstein (1939). His popularity following Frankenstein was such that for a brief time he was billed simply as "Karloff" or "Karloff the Uncanny". His best-known non-horror role is as the Grinch in the television special of Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Boris Karloff, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Acting History
2025
Legacy of Screams: The Evolution of Horror Movies
as Self - (archive footage)
2024
The Last Repair Shop
as The Monster (archive footage) (uncredited)
2023
The Dark Universe
as La Momia (archivo de imagen)
2022
Boris Karloff: The Rest of the Story
as Self - Interviewee
2021
Hollywood in the Atomic Age: Monsters! Martians! Mad Scientists!
as Self (archive footage)
Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster
as Self (archive footage)
2015
Jack Pierce: The Man Who Made the Monsters
as Self (archive footage)
2014
Monster Madness: The Golden Age of the Horror Film
as Various roles (archive footage)
2013
A Masque of Madness (Notes on Film 06-B, Monologue 02)
as Self (archive footage)
Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored
as Self (archive footage)
2008
He Who Made Monsters: The Life and Art of Jack Pierce
as Self (archive footage)
2007
Bela Lugosi: The Fallen Vampire
as Himself (archive footage)
Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman
as Self (archive footage)
Ian Rankin Investigates: Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
as Cabman John Gray (archive footage)
2006
Karloff: The Gentle Monster
as Self (archive footage)
Terror in the Tropics
as Mr. Wong (archive footage)
Lugosi: The Dark Prince
as Self (archive footage)
2003
The Mesmerist
as (archive footage)
2002
The 'Frankenstein' Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster
as Self (archive footage)
2001
Heroes of Horror
as (archive footage)
2000
Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed
as Self (archive footage)
The Many Faces of Dracula
as The Monster (archive footage)
The American Nightmare
as Self
1999
Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man'
as Self (archive footage)
1998
Universal Horror
as (archive footage)
1996
The Universal Story
as Self (archive footage)
1994
Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld
as Self (archive footage)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Special Edition
as (voice - archive footage)
1991
Frankenstein: A Cinematic Scrapbook
as The Monster / Gustav Niemann / Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde / etc.
Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook
as Doctor Gustav Niemann (archive footage)
1990
Myrna Loy: So Nice to Come Home To
as (archive footage)
Abbott and Costello in the Movies
as Archival
1989
Transylvania Twist
as Man in Room (archive footage)
1987
Creepy Classics
as Dr. Scarabus - (archive footage)
1984
Going Hollywood: The '30s
as (archive footage)
1983
The Horror of It All
as Frankenstein / Cabman John Gray (archive footage)
1982
Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!
as Self (archive footage)
1979
The Horror Show
as (archive footage)
1975
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
as Self (archive footage)
1974
The Horror Hall of Fame: A Monster Salute
as Self (archive footage)
Madhouse
as (archive footage)
1971
Alien Terror
as Prof. John Mayer
Isle of the Snake People
as Carl van Molder / Damballah
1970
Hatchet for the Honeymoon
as Gorca (archive footage)
McCloud
TVas Hjalmar Poelzig (archive footage) (uncredited)
1968
Fear Chamber
as Dr. Carl Mandel
Targets
as Byron Orlok
Macabre Serenade
as Matthias Morteval
Curse of the Crimson Altar
as Professor John Marsh
Cauldron of Blood
as Franz Badulescu
The Movie Orgy
as Self (archive footage)
The Name of the Game
TVas Mikhail Orlov• 1 eps
1967
The Sorcerers
as Prof. Marcus Monserrat
The Venetian Affair
as Dr. Pierre Vaugiroud
Mad Monster Party?
as Baron Boris von Frankenstein (voice)
1966
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
as Narrator / The Grinch (voice)
The Daydreamer
as The Rat (voice)
The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini
as The Corpse
Doom of Dracula
as The Madman (archive footage)
The Wild Wild West
TVas Mr. Singh• 1 eps
The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.
TVas Mother Muffin• 1 eps
1965
Die, Monster, Die!
as Nahum Witley
1964
Horror!!!
as Self
The Comedy of Terrors
as Amos Hinchley
Bikini Beach
as Art Dealer
A Fool's World
as Narrator
Today's Teens
as Narrator
Shindig!
TVas Self - Guest Host / Singer
Bikini Beach
Thanks
1963
The Doctor Of Seven Dials
as Dr. Thomas Bolton
The Raven
as Dr. Scarabus
The Terror
as Baron Victor Frederick Von Leppe
Black Sabbath
as Gorca (segment "The Wurdalak")
1962
Little Lost Robot
as Host
Arsenic & Old Lace
as Jonathan Brewster
The Incredible Doktor Markesan
as Dr. Konrad Markesan
Out of This World
TVas Host
1961
Days of Thrills and Laughter
as Self (archive footage)
The Grim Reaper
as Self
Thriller
TVas Pop Jenkins / Col. Jackson Beauregard Finchess• 1 eps
1960
1958
Frankenstein 1970
as Baron Viktor von Frankenstein
Heart of Darkness
as Mr. Kurtz
Jack the Ripper
as Host / Capt. John Elwood / Jonas Atterbury / Dr. Francis Mason
Grip of the Strangler
as James Rankin
Destination Nightmare
as Host / Ira Perry / Pete Wade Sr. / Professor Charles Goncourt / Morgan Debs
Shirley Temple's Storybook
TVas Narrator (voice) / Father Knickerbocker• 1 eps
1957
The Lark
as Bishop Cauchon
Voodoo Island
as Phillip Knight
The Juggler of Our Lady
as Narrator (voice)
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
TVas Self• 2 eps
Suspicion
TVas Judge Winthrop Gelsey• 1 eps
The Lux Show
TVas Self
1956
Rendezvous in Black
as Ward Allen
The Red Skelton Show
TVas Professor Townsend (Spy)• 1 eps
Tony Awards
TVas Self - Nominee• 1 eps
Climax!
TVas Vicar Tellworth• 1 eps
Colonel March of Scotland Yard
TVas Colonel March Of Scotland Yard
The Rosemary Clooney Show
TVas Self
1955
A Connecticut Yankee
as King Arthur
Sabaka
as General Pollegar
Sting of Death
as Mr. Mycroft
The United States Steel Hour
TVas George Redford• 1 eps
This Is Your Life
TVas Self
1954
The Island Monster
as Don Gaetano
The George Gobel Show
TVas Self
1953
Colonel March Investigates
as Colonel March
Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
as Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Hyde
General Electric Theater
TVas Henry E. Church / Mr. Blue Ocean
Suspense
TVas Bronson / Rasputin / Toff• 1 eps
1952
1951
The Strange Door
as Voltan
What's My Line?
TVas Self• 1 eps
Hallmark Hall of Fame
TVas Jonathan Brewster / Cauchon
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
TVas Charles Brandon
Down You Go
TVas Self
1950
Lux Video Theatre
TVas Sir Arthur Strangeways / Montgomery Royle / Larkin
1949
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff
as Swami Talpur
The Emperor's Nightingale
as Narrator (English version)
1948
Tap Roots
as Tishomingo
1947
Unconquered
as Guyasuta, Chief of the Senecas
Lured
as Charles van Druten
Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome
as Gruesome
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
as Dr Hugo Hollingshead
1946
Bedlam
as George Sims
1945
The Body Snatcher
as John Gray
Isle of the Dead
as Gen. Nikolas Pherides
1944
House of Frankenstein
as Dr. Gustav Niemann
The Climax
as Dr. Friedrich Hohner
The Mummy's Curse
as Kharis in Flashback (archive footage / uncredited)
1942
Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood No. 6
as Himself
The Boogie Man Will Get You
as Prof. Nathaniel Billings
1941
The Devil Commands
as Dr. Julian Blair
1940
Black Friday
as Dr. Ernest Sovac
Doomed to Die
as James Lee Wong
The Fatal Hour
as James Lee Wong
Before I Hang
as Dr. John Garth
The Man with Nine Lives
as Dr. Leon Kravaal
The Mummy's Hand
as Kharis (archive footage / uncredited)
You'll Find Out
as Judge Spencer Mainwaring
The Ape
as Dr. Bernard Adrian
1939
Mr. Wong in Chinatown
as Mr. James Lee Wong
Son of Frankenstein
as The Monster
The Mystery of Mr. Wong
as James Lee Wong
Tower of London
as Mord
British Intelligence
as Valdar
The Man They Could Not Hang
as Dr. Henryk Savaard
Devil's Island
as Dr. Charles Gaudet
1938
Mr. Wong, Detective
as James Lee Wong
The Invisible Menace
as Jevries
1937
Night Key
as David Mallory
Cinema Circus
as Himself
West of Shanghai
as "General" Wu Yen Fang
Breakdowns of 1937
as Self
1936
The Walking Dead
as John Ellman
The Invisible Ray
as Dr. Janos Rukh
Charlie Chan at the Opera
as Gravelle
The Man Who Changed His Mind
as Dr. Laurence
Juggernaut
as Dr. Victor Sartorius
1935
The Raven
as Edmond Bateman
The Black Room
as Baron Gregor de Berghman / Anton de Berghman
Hollywood Hobbies
as Himself
Bride of Frankenstein
as The Monster
1934
The Black Cat
as Hjalmar Poelzig
The House of Rothschild
as Count Ledrantz
The Lost Patrol
as Sanders
Gift of Gab
as Himself
Screen Snapshots No. 11
as Himself
1933
The Ghoul
as Prof. Morlant
1932
Scarface
as Gaffney
The Mask of Fu Manchu
as Dr. Fu Manchu
The Miracle Man
as Nikko
Night World
as 'Happy' MacDonald
Behind the Mask
as Jim Henderson
Skyscraper Souls
as Man Approaching Ticket Counter
The Old Dark House
as Morgan
The Mummy
as Imhotep / Ardath Bey
Boo
as Frankenstein's Monster (edited from "Frankenstein")
Business and Pleasure
as Sheik Ali-Ben Joseph
The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood
as Boris Karloff
1931
The Yellow Ticket
as Drunken Orderly
The Mad Genius
as Fedor's Father (uncredited)
Graft
as Terry
Frankenstein
as The Monster
King of the Wild
as Mustapha
Five Star Final
as T. Vernon Isopod
The Criminal Code
as Ned Galloway
Smart Money
as Sport Williams
Cracked Nuts
as Boris - First Revolutionary
Tonight or Never
as Waiter
The Vanishing Legion
as The Voice (voice)
I Like Your Nerve
as Luigi - Pacheco's Butler
The Public Defender
as The Professor
The Guilty Generation
as Tony Ricca
Young Donovan's Kid
as Cokey Joe
1930
1929
Two Sisters
as Cecil
Behind That Curtain
as Beetham's Manservent
The Devil's Chaplain
as Boris
The Unholy Night
as Abdul Mohammed Bey - the Hindu Lawyer (uncredited)
The King of the Kongo
as Scarface Macklin
The Phantom of the North
as Jules Gregg
Burning the Wind
as Pug Doran
The Fatal Warning
as Mullins
1928
Sharp Shooters
as Cafe Proprietor (uncredited)
Vultures of the Sea
as Grouchy
The Vanishing Rider
as The Villain
The Little Wild Girl
as Maurice Kent
1927
The Meddlin' Stranger
as Al Meggs
Soft Cushions
as The Chief Conspirator
The Phantom Buster
as Ramon
Two Arabian Knights
as Purser
Tarzan and the Golden Lion
as Owaza
The Love Mart
as Fleming
The Princess from Hoboken
as Pavel
Let It Rain
as Crook
1926
The Eagle of the Sea
as Pirate (uncredited)
The Bells
as The Mesmerist
Flames
as Blackie Blanchette
The Nickel-Hopper
as Dance Hall Masher
Old Ironsides
as Saracen Guard (uncredited)
The Greater Glory
as Scissors Grinder
Her Honor, the Governor
as Snipe Collins
The Man in the Saddle
as Robber (uncredited)
Flaming Fury
as Gaspard
The Golden Web
as Dave Sinclair
1925
Without Mercy
as Madame Gordon's 2nd Henchman (uncredited)
Forbidden Cargo
as Pietro Castillano
Lady Robinhood
as Cabraza
The Prairie Wife
as Diego
Parisian Nights
as Pierre
1924
Dynamite Dan
as Tony Garcia
The White Panther
as Shere Ali's Aide (as Karloff Boris)
The Hellion
as The Outlaw
1923
The Prisoner
as Prince Kapolski
1922
Nan of the North
as Undetermined Role (uncredited)
The Altar Stairs
as Hugo
The Infidel
as The Nabob
The Woman Conquers
as Raoul Maris
Omar the Tentmaker
as Imam Mowaffak
The Man from Downing Street
as Maharajah Jehan
1921
Cheated Hearts
as Nei Hamid
The Cave Girl
as Baptiste
The Hope Diamond Mystery
as Priest of Kama-Sita / Dakar
Without Benefit of Clergy
as Ahmed Khan
1920
The Last of the Mohicans
as Indian (uncredited)
The Deadlier Sex
as Jules Borney
The Courage of Marge O'Doone
as Tavish
The Woman and the Puppet
as (uncredited)
1919
His Majesty, the American
as Henchman in cloth cap
The Prince and Betty
as Undetermined Role







